After a small pause, Amanda continued: “Trevor, you can speak now. Tell me, how old are you?”
“Forty… one…” Trevor mumbled.
“Good… Good…” said Amanda steadily. “What is your name?”
“Trevor.” His speech was slurred and barely audible.
“Good, Trevor. Let’s go back two days. Where are you?”
“Geneva,” Trevor replied quietly. “Hotel… Big room…”
“What do you see,” asked Amanda.
“Diamonds… Safe…” Trevor said, barely moving his lips.
There was a click in the recording. It was a tape defect or the recording had stopped there, but it swiftly resumed.
“Okay, Trevor. Now, let’s go back to yesterday. Morning…” Amanda said firmly with confidence.
Suddenly Trevor’s voice became clear: “Amanda?! I can’t see anything… What happened? How did she do that?” the voice cried out.
“Trevor, I induced sleep hypnosis. You are under the influence of my suggestion,” Amanda’s voice was firm and slow. “I want you to go back to yesterday…”
“Amanda, Amanda, it’s alright! To hell with yesterday! I can’t see anything… I am here… Is this a dream? You are my dream? I guess…” Trevor was agitated.
Amanda induced sleep hypnosis, but for some reason Trevor did not act the way her patients usually did. His body tensed, his eyelids began to throb, and so she decided to cut the session short.
“Trevor, you are in a state of sleep hypnosis. Try to calm down. Everything is fine.” Amanda’s voice was also agitated, but it remained firm. “I will start the countdown now and you will wake up.”
“Stop, Amanda. Stop! Don’t do it! How do I explain this?.. This is the one chance in a thousand for me! Even if he wakes up, convince him to have another session."
“Who wakes up?” Amanda asked. The session clearly was not going as planned and something had to be done about it.
“Trevor… I mean me… I mean… I need to explain something to you.”
“Okay, Trevor, don’t worry so much. Calm down. Your body is very tense. It is very hard to maintain control like that. Relax.” Amanda passed a hand over Trevor’s eyes. “What do you see?”
“I told you, nothing. I see nothing, my eyes are closed… You are good, you know! We need to speak calmly about this, now. I can hear you so clearly!”
Amanda looked at Trevor. He was lying on the couch, relaxed, without an emotion showing on his face. She was very confused. Trevor from the sleep hypnosis spoke with her surprisingly loudly and clearly. Most importantly, it was as though he was not under her suggestive power at all. Rather, she got the impression that he was trying to communicate on his own, not just answer questions, as what usually happens when a hypnotherapist works with a patient.
She contemplated the situation. This was the first time something like this had happened in all her years as a psychologist.
Meanwhile, Trevor continued: “Amanda, you and I need to figure out what is happening to me. Or to him… Well, we need to figure out who is who.”
Amanda listened, growing even more confused. Her eyes were wide open and she did not understand what she was hearing.
“Well, and who might you be then?” she finally asked.
The idea of a split personality came to mind and she tried to recall the symptoms of the disorder. The thought calmed her a bit, since she could rationally explain what was happening.
“I am Robert,” the voice answered, “Robert from the other life of Trevor.”
“Robert?” Amanda asked again. “What other life?”
